Method of making scoops



F 1941- M. J. BERGEN 3, 03

' METHOD OF MAKING SCOOPS Filed Nov. 18, 1938 Martin J Bergeh uvmvron wATTORNEY)! Patented Feb. 25, 1941 PATENT ol-"rlca METHOD OF MAKINGSCOOPS Martin J. Bergen, Franklin, Pa,, assignor to Joy FastenerCompany, a corporation of Pennsyl- Vania Application November 18, 1938,Serial No. 241,272

7 Claims.

This invention relates to slide fasteners of the type havinginterlocking elements or scoops mounted on opposed stringers or tapesand movable into and out of locking engagement by a slider, andparticularly to an improved method of making the individual interlockingelements or scoops. p

The principal object of this invention is to provide a method for makingthe interlocking elements or scoops of a slide fastener from metal stockwithout waste or the loss of any material as scrap, and which iseconomical, easy to carry out and which does not require any elaborateor expensive machinery to practice the invention.

Another object is to produce the interlocking elements or scoops of aslide fastener from standard or commercial gauge .wirestock of standardshape and size in cross section, wherein the step of rolling or drawingthe wire stock to any deflnite cross sectional configuration or shape,as must now be done in the only process known to me for making suchscoops without waste or scrap loss, is omitted. I These and otherobjects which will hereinafter be made apparent to those skilled in thisparticular art are accomplished by means of this invention, the steps ofmy improved method being described in the following speciflcatlonanddiagrammatically illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the preferred shape of alength of wire stock used in carrying out my invention; 4 I Fig. 2 is aplan view illustrating diagrammatically the blank forming mandrel alongthe sides of which two lengths 01' wire stock are simultaneously fed;

Fig. 31s a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the ends of the wire stockbent around the front end of the mandrel;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation illustrating the step of severing a formedblank from the lengths of wire stock;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a die for receiving the severedblanks and in which the severed blanks are coined to form finishedinterlocking elements or scoops;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a completed interlocking element orscoop;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the shape of another length of wirestock which may be used in carrying out my invention; and

Fig. 8 is aplan view of the blank from which the scoops are coined.

Broadly, my improved method of making inter locking elements or scoopsfor slide fasteners consists in forming from two lengths of wire stock,a substantially U-shaped blank with the ends of the two lengths of wireprojecting a short distance beyond the base of the blank. The formationof the blank is completed by welding these projecting ends together inany suitable or desired manner, such as by spot welding. The blank soformed is then subjected to a coining operation a to form from thewelded portion thereof an interlocknig head having a recess on one sideand a projection on the opposite side thereof, and at the same lime toshape and form from the legs of the U-shaped blank a pair of spacedtape-gripping jaws for clamping the finished scoop or interlockingelement .to the edge of a tape or stringer. No special equipment ormachinery is needed to practice my invention and it may be readily car-.ried out and practiced with the aid of standard apparatus or equipmentnow in general use.

In the preferred form of my invention, two lengths of wire stock I,arranged in parallel relation to each other, are simultaneouslyandintermittently fed forward by a pair of reciprocating wire feeders,indicated at 2, of conventional construction and operation, and movedalong the sides of a suitable shaping or forming mandrel 3 having aninsulated front face 4. The wire feeders -2 are so arranged and adjustedthat each forward movement thereof moves the ends of the lengths of wirestock a predetermined distance beyond the front face 4 of the mandrel.

The term length of wire stock, as used herein, means the stock lyingalong each side of the mandrel and extending through the feeding means,and it is to be understood that I am not limited to any particularlength of wire but that wire coiled on reels may be readily used incarrying out my improved process.

The projecting ends of the wire stock are then bent toward each other atsubstantially right 'angles around the front face 4 of the mandrel. Theends of the length of wire stock are of sufficient length and extendbeyond the front face 4 of the mandrel a sufllcient distance so thatwhen bent toward each other a portion of each wire forms a split base ofa substantially U-shaped blank, and the ends of the wires project ashort distance therebeyond and lie in a planesubstantially' parallel tothe sides of the mandrel 3. The ends of the two wires are then united bywelding.

In the drawing, I have indicated a pair of opposed welding presses 5,each having a fiat exposed f-ace 6 and a curved face 1,. a portion 1a ofwhich is insulated for bending the ends of the wires l around themandrel 3, and which are adapted to be periodically moved toward andaway from each other and into and out of engagement with the projectingends of the wire stock. The presses are so anranged and posi- "tioned oneach side of the mandrel 3 that as they move into engagement with theprojecting ends of the wires l, the curved portions 1, bend the wiresaround the front face of the mandrel 4 to form the base ,8 of a U-shapedblank having a portion 9 extending a short distance therebeyond,

which is formed from the bending pressure exert- 3 and the feeders 2 areagain operated to feed' the wires along the mandrel and move the base 8of the U-shaped blank a predetermined distance beyond the edge of acut-off block l0. With the blank in this position, the wires l aresevered'by a suitable knife or shear, indicated at H, which operates inconjunction with the cut-off block I0, and-a U-shaped blank I2 is thusproduced from which the fastener element or scoop is formed.

To complete the formation of the interlocking element or scoop, eachblank I2 is transferred or conveyed to and positioned in the femalemember l3 of a suitable coining die of the usual type used in thisindustry and having a male member I cooperating therewith. When thesections l3 and I4 of the die are brought together, the blank I 2 iscoined and a fastener element l5 having a pair of spaced tape-grippingjaws l6 at one end and an interlocking head I! of the usual shape andsize is produced.

The scoops I 5 after leaving the coining die may be placed in a hopperwhich feeds them one at a time to a mechanism for clamping thetapegripping jaws It to a suitable tape or stringer, or

each individual scoop l5 may be conveyed directly from the coining dieto the mechanism for clamping the jaws to the tape, if desired.

Fig. 7 illustrates another form ofwire stock which may be used incarrying out my process for making scoops. In this figure, the length ofwire shape, two lengths of wire stock are placed in stock I9 ispreformed to provide a series of longitudina'lly spaced fiat sections 20which are separated from each other by off-set sections To make scoopsfrom wire of this general side by side relation with the surfaces 20 onone length abutting against the surfaces 20 on the other-length. Withthe lengths of stock in this position, the surfaces 20 are spot weldedtogether, after which the lengths of wire stock are severed on the linesX -X and Y-Y to form individual blanks which are then coined to producethe fastener elements or scoops l5. 7

If desired, the'blank maybe formed by first severing the length of wireIS on the lines X-X and Y-Y andthen arranging the severed pieces in sucha way as to form substantially U-shaped members with the surface 20 onone piece in contact with the surface 20 on the other piece, after whichthe contacting surfaces 20 are welded together by any appropriatewelding means to provide an integral blank.

While I have described one embodiment of my invention and indicatedmechanisms, which may be used in carrying out such improved method, it

is to be understood that my method is not limited to the particulararrangement of steps set forth nor to the mechanisms indicated, but thatoer.- tain modifications, changes, additions, subtractions and omissionsmay be made therein, and other apparatus and mechanism may be used,without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is: i

1. The method of making scoops from wire stock which consists inpositioning a pair of wires along the sides'of a mandrel with the endsthere'- of projectinga predetermined distance beyond the end thereof,bending the projecting ends around the mandrel and forming flatcontacting sur-v faces on the ends of said wire to provide asubstantially U-shaped blank having a split base and legs ofindeterminate length, welding the contacting surfaces of said'wirestogether, moving the wires forward along the sides of said mandrel,severing the wires at a point a predetermined dis tance beyond the frontof said mandrel to secure a blank, and then coining said blank to form'ascoop. I e I 2. The method of making fastener elements of the typehaving pronged attaching, portions adapted to straddle a stringer, andfree interlocking heads, having interlocking recesses and projections onopposite sides thereof, which con sists in ofl'setting separate lengthsof wire stock to provide, when two such 1engths are placed side by side,a substantially U-shaped blank, having a portion of each wire projectingbeyond the base of said blank in a plane substantially parallel to thelegs thereof, welding the projecting portions of said wires together andthen simultaneously shaping the legs of said blank to form the prongedattaching portions and indenting said welded portion to provide on theinterlocking head of the scoop having a recess on one side and aprojection on theother-side. v

3. The method of making scoops or fastener elements of the type havingpronged attaching por'tions adapted to straddle a stringer, and freeinterlocking portions, having interlocking recesses and projections onopposite sides thereof, which consists in placing two'lengths of wire,each having an offset therein, side by side, with the offset portions ofeach wire in contact with each'other, welding the contacting offsetportions of said wires together to form a substantially U-shaped 'blank,having a portion projecting I beyond the base thereof, and then shapingthe legs of said blank to form the pronged attachingportions andindenting the portion projecting beyond the base of said blank to formthe interlocking portion with 'a recess and projection on opposite sidesthereof.

4. The method of ,making' scoops or fastener elements of the type havingpronged attaching portions adapted to straddle a stringer, and freeinterlocking portions having interlocking recesses and projections onopposite sides thereof, which consists in forming a blank from wirestock by welding the ends of two lengths of wire stock together whileholding the remaining portions of the wires spaced apart and out ofcontact with each other, and then indenting the welded I portion of saidblank to form the interlocking portion having a recess on one side and aprojection on the other side thereof, and shaping the spaced apartportions of said blank to form the pronged attaching portions of saidscoop.

5. The method of making scoops or fastener elements of the type havingpronged attaching portions adapted to straddle a stringer, and freeinterlocking heads having interlocking recesses and projections onopposite sides thereof, which consists in arranging two wires of anindeterminate length in parallel relation to each other, bending thefree end of each wire to provide an offset therein, welding the offsetends of said.

and projections on opposite sides thereof, which, consists in placingtwo wires of indeterminate lengths along the sides of a mandrel, havingparallel sides with the ends thereof projecting beyond the face ofsaidmandrel a distance greater than the width of said mandrel, bendingthe projecting ends of the wires around the face of said mandrel toprovide an offset in each of said wires, and bring the ends thereof intocontact with each other, spot welding the contacting ends of said wirestogether, feeding said wires forwardly along the sides of said mandrel,severing said wires at a point beyond the face of said mandrel toprovide a substantially U-shaped blank, having a portion projectingbeyond the base thereof and then simultaneously shaping the legs of saidblank to form the pronged attaching portions of the scoop and indentingthe projecting portion of said blank to form the interlocking headhaving a recess on one side and a projection on the other side thereof.

7. The method of making'scoops or fastener elements of the type havingpronged attaching portions adapted to straddle a stringer, and freeinterlocking heads having interlocking recesses and projections onopposite sides thereof, which consists in placing a pair of wires ofindeterminate length along the sides of a mandrel, with the ends thereofprojecting a pre-determined distance beyond said mandrel, subjecting theprojected ends of said wires to a bending pressure to form an offset ineach of said wires and to move the offset ends thereof into contact witheach other, welding the contacting ends of said wires together, feedingsaid wires forward along the sides of said mandrel a pre-determineddistance, severing said wires at a pre-determined distance'beyond theend of said mandrel, to provide a substantially U-shaped blank having aportion projecting beyond the base thereof, shaping the legs of saidblank to form the -pronged attaching portions of the scoop and indentingand shaping the projecting portion ofsald blank to form the interlockinghead having a recess on one side and a projection on the other sidethereof.

MARTIN J. BERGEN.

